Dans la lumière

Social novel

Dellarobia Turnbow is bored. Married far too young, she lives the life of a stay-at-home mother on a farm in the Appalachians. During a walk, she comes face to face with a strange phenomenon: in this forest she knows so well, she discovers a "valley of fire," dazzling in its beauty yet frightening. What she takes for a miraculous apparition becomes a collective concern: the religious community of the town and many scientists each put forward an explanation. Some believe they recognize a sign from God, while others point to an ecological anomaly. For these glowing reflections have nothing to do with flames. They are the wings of butterflies, which have surprisingly altered their migratory route. This isolated corner becomes a place watched by the entire country. Curious visitors organize excursions, and journalists seize on the story. Dellarobia, at the center of all this attention, sees her destiny turn upside down. Beyond that, she comes to understand that the balance of human existence itself is under threat: What will happen if climate change intensifies?